Revenge of the Sith Revisited
by lateBloomer04
Summary: AU, RotS What if QuiGon came back through the Force and stopped Anakin and ObiWan’s fight on Mustafar? Will ObiWan, Anakin, Padme and the twins be able to escape the Emperor’s clutches? AnakinPadme
1. An Old Friend

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Fox and George Lucas, not me.

Summary: AU, RotS What if Qui-Gon came back through the Force and stopped Anakin and Obi-Wan's fight on Mustafar? Will Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme and the twins be able to escape the Emperor's clutches? Anakin/Padme

A/N: This is an AU version of what could've happened at the end of Episode Three.

Ch.1: An Old Friend

Anakin Skywalker, now secretly Darth Vader, smiled with grim satisfaction. He had just eradicated Nute Gunray and the rest of the meddlesome Trade Federation, on his master's orders. As his eyes burned a sickly yellow, Anakin went outside to observe the workings of the volcanic planet first hand. Somehow, entrepreneurs had set up a system on Mustafar, where they could harvest the lava from the boiling rivers and convert it to energy. While Anakin watched this process happen, he couldn't help but relate it to his new found discovery of the Dark Side of the Force.

Whenever he had to perform a task that Palpatine had set for him, he'd gather all of the anger, hate, and aggression that been boiling and festering within him for years, and converted it into energy that he could use to defeat his enemies. Yes, tapping into the Dark Side certainly had its uses…

But then Anakin paused for a moment, as he'd sensed a familiar presence. _Padme! But what was she doing in this system? _ Anakin wondered in confusion. She was supposed to be a home on Coruscant, resting. After all, she was carrying his child… He watched as she landed the ship, docked, and carefully climbed out of the hatch.

"Padme!" He called, and she turned towards him, smiling in relief.

"Oh, Anakin!" she cried, running towards him as fast as the pregnancy would allow. "How did you know I was here?"

"I felt you were nearby," Anakin admitted, pulling her into a soft embrace. She closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're safe now," he soothed, stroking her hair. "Why are you here?" he asked, letting the curiosity get the better of him.

"I was worried about you," she replied. "Obi-Wan told me terrible things that you'd done…"

"What things?" he asked, albeit accusingly. Anakin was instantly on guard…he wasn't sure he wanted to reveal his new position as Palpatine's right hand man to his wife just yet.

"He said you have turned to the dark side . . . that you killed younglings," Padme told him reluctantly, searching his face for any verification of these accusations.

"Obi-Wan doesn't know what he's talking about," Anakin said darkly. "He's trying to turn you against me so he can have you for himself."

"No he's not, Ani," Padme shook her head at the unfounded accusations. He only wants to help us."

"Us!" Anakin cried, already feeling betrayed.

"He knows…" she said helplessly. "I couldn't keep it a secret from him any longer." He scoffed at her.

"Ugh, you just had to tell _Obi-Wan_ our secret." Anakin glared at her, disgusted that she would ever do such a thing. "But can he protect you like I can? No, he can't. He's not strong enough; I am."

"Anakin, all I want is your love," Padme pleaded softly, taking his hands in hers.

"Love won't save you, Padme. Only my new powers can do that," he explained, with a wild glint in his eye

"But at what cost?" she pressed on. "Don't do this, Ani. This is not your destiny; you're better than this!" His wife gave him a pleading look, which he ignored.

"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother!" Anakin screamed. "I've become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I've done it for you. To protect you." Padme shook her head again.

"You're not making any sense, Anakin," she chided him. "Let's leave this place while we still can."

"No," he insisted, caressing her hands with his. "Don't you see, we don't have to run. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him – I know I can - and together you and I can rule the galaxy. We can make things the way we want them to be." Padme yanked her hands away from her husband, staring at him in baffled horror.

"I don't believe what you're saying . . . Obi-Wan was right. You've changed," she told him, slowly backing away towards her ship. Disgusted, Anakin flinched at the sound of his former friend and mentor's name.

"I don't want to hear any more about _Obi-Wan_. The Jedi turned against me; he turned against me. Don't you turn against me too!" Shaking, Padme flinched as Anakin grabbed hold of her arms.

"I don't know you anymore," she said, staring at her husband as if he'd morphed into a Hutt. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart. I'll never stop loving you, but you are going down a path I can never follow."

"Because of Obi-Wan?" Anakin sneered at her.

"No! Because of all you've done . . . what you plan to do. Don't do it, Ani! Come back to me! I love you," she told him sincerely. Just then, Obi-Wan decided it was the opportune moment to appear from inside Padme's ship.

"You're a liar!" Anakin screamed. Padme turned around and saw Obi-Wan standing in the doorway of her Cruiser and saw how Anakin came to the wrong conclusion.

"No!" she protested. "I had no idea he was on the ship; I refused to tell him where you were…"

"You're with him. You've betrayed me!" he yelled, clearly hurting. "You brought him here to kill me!" The crazy glint was back in Anakin's eyes as he advanced menacingly toward his pregnant wife.

"No!" she cried. "Anakin, I didn't know... I ..." Her eyes widened in hear as her husband reached out with the Force, and she clutched her throat, clearly choking. Anakin was using the Force to cut off her air supply! 

"Let her go, Anakin," Obi-Wan ordered sternly.

"You - stay away from me!" Anakin yelled, still gripping Padme in a chokehold.

"Let her go!" Obi-Wan repeated, with conviction. Shrugging, Anakin released his grip on the now unconscious Padme and she crumpled to the ground.

"You turned her against me!" Anakin accused. Obi-Wan shook his head sadly.

"You have done that yourself." Anakin's voice shook with rage as he faced his former best friend.

"You will not take her away from me!" He exclaimed, throwing off his dark Jedi cloak in preparation for a fight.

"Anakin, I'm not trying to steal your wife away from you," Obi-Wan patiently explained as he flung off his cloak in anticipation. "She finally saw what you've become. You have allowed the Dark Lord to twist your mind until now . . . until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."

"Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan," Anakin warned. "I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, justice, freedom, and security to my new Empire," Anakin proudly proclaimed.

"Your new Empire?" Obi-Wan said, skeptically.

"Don't make me kill you," Anakin threatened.

"Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic ... to democracy," the Jedi master replied firmly. Anakin's brow furrowed, and he reached for his lightsaber.

"If you're not with me, then you will be destroyed!" Shaking his head at what his former apprentice had become, Obi-Wan continued,

"Only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes. I will do what I must." Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber.

"You will try." Anakin gave his former teacher a chilling, menacing grin.

But before Anakin could initiate the impending lightsaber duel, something incredibly odd happened that distracted both him and Obi-Wan.

"Stop!" The new voice cried. Both Anakin and his former master stared at the newcomer in shock. In the space between the two Jedi, a shimmering blue figure in hooded robes had materialized out of thin air. But there was something familiar about this man, and Obi-Wan recognized who it was immediately.

"It's not possible…" Anakin muttered.

"Qui-Gon?" Obi-Wan whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

"It is I," Obi-Wan's former master nodded grimly at the Jedi.

"But how?" Anakin asked, incredulous, his quarrel with Obi-Wan all but forgotten for the moment. "You're dead…" Qui-Gon nodded again.

"But I've discovered a way to come back; to speak to the living through the Force. Strictly speaking, there are some guidelines that I must follow, and one of them is to never reveal any possible futures to those still alive. But when have I ever been one to follow the rules?" The dead Jedi master gave them a small grin, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Is that why you are here?" Anakin said, dubiously. "To reveal the future?" Qui-Gon nodded gravely.

"I have foreseen what will most likely happen if you and Obi-Wan fight. And let me tell you, it's not a good outcome, to put it mildly." He winced, as if watching something play out in his mind.

"Anakin, you will embrace the dark side forever if you fight him," Qui-Gon revealed. "Once you take this final step towards darkness, there will be no turning back." At first, Anakin paled at this, but then he remembered the reason why he was fighting Obi-Wan in the first place.

"But he was trying to steal Padme from me," Anakin accused his former master and friend, his voice filled with venom. "He turned her against me…"

"That's not true, Anakin," Obi-Wan began, trying to reason with him, but Anakin wasn't about to listen. His hand was already reaching for his lightsaber again.

"Anakin, listen to me!" Qui-Gon pleaded. "I didn't return to the land of the living to watch you turn to the Dark Side; I know there is still good in you yet. For the sake of your children, you must return to the light. Yes, your children…you heard me correctly." The Jedi master chuckled when he saw Anakin's shocked expression.

"Padme is carrying twins," Qui-Gon confirmed. "But she most likely will not survive the birth if she believes that you are lost to evil."

"But you don't understand," Anakin stammered softly. "What I'm doing, joining with Palpatine, I'm doing it _for_ her. He knows how to save her life – how to keep her from even dying at all!"

"He's been deceiving you from the start, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head at his former apprentice's naivety. "Not even the Dark Side can keep someone alive forever…it's against the ways of the Force."

"How would you know?" Anakin yelled angrily. "You just want to keep Padme away from me - "

"Anakin," Qui-Gon interjected sternly. "What Obi-Wan says is true; there is no technique available using either the Dark or the Light side of the force to keep those we love alive forever. Palpatine has been playing off your worst fears, and has turned you against the very people that you hold dear the most…"

Anakin started to protest; it couldn't be true! But then he stared at the man that he'd considered to be his only father figure, and he knew that man wasn't lying. Realization that he'd been going down the dark path all along hit him like a cold bucket of ice. Obi-Wan and Padme weren't trying to go against him, they were trying to save him from falling deeper under Palpatine's influence.

"Qui-Gon, I…" Anakin trailed off weakly, but the dead master shook his head, hiding a smile.

"Don't tell me," he said. "Tell my old padawan – he is the one who needs to hear whatever it is you have to say."

"Obi-Wan, I didn't mean to go this far," Anakin apologized, his voice cracking with emotion. "I honestly don't know what came over me…" Obi-Wan sighed.

"I do. You were blinded by your love for Padme that you allowed your senses to be dulled to anything other than protecting her."

"Obi-Wan, what can I do?" Anakin asked, his fair featured filled with remorse. "I fear I can never truly return to the light – after all that I've done. I've practically be come a Sith Lord, I've murdered younglings in cold blood not to mention I've eradicated the Jedi order. And to top it off, I've assisted a dictator in the building of his empire and helped him take over the entire galaxy…"

"I don't mean to interrupt," Qui-Gon cut in, "But we have a problem. Emperor Palpatine, as he has now proclaimed himself, is heading straight for Mustafar." Both Anakin and Obi-Wan gulped.

"Padme," Anakin breathed, concern for his wife seeping into his worried voice. "We have to deliver her to safety – I can't let Palpatine find her!" Now that Anakin recognized Palpatine for the fraud that he was, he all could imagine was forcing the twisted politician turned Sith Lord to endure a slow and painful death.

"Anakin, you must get control over your feelings," Obi-Wan warned, feeling a particular surge of anger emanating from him. "It is the only way that we will be able to save Padme."

"Obi-Wan is right," Qui-Gon voiced his opinion. "If you are to leave, then you must leave now." He watched as Anakin and Obi-Wan rushed to the fallen Padme's side. As Anakin tenderly gathered his wife in his arms, she began to stir. But when she opened her eyes to see her husband holding her, she let out a tiny gasp of horror.

"Padme, it's alright," Anakin tried, but to no avail.

"No," she whispered, and without another word, she fainted dead away, going limp in Anakin's arms. An anguished Anakin turned to Qui-Gon, to see his reaction to the heart-breaking turn of events.

"Don't worry about that now," Qui-Gon advised. "You must hurry!" The whine of the engines drowned out his words as Artoo prepared Padme's ship for departure. Qui-Gon's form was starting to fade, and he waved to his friends.

"I can stay no longer. Farewell, and may the Force be with you," he murmured, not resisting the call of the Force.

"Master, don't leave us!" Obi-Wan cried, but it was too late. He had disappeared, to rejoin with the Force.

"Qui-Gon!" Anakin moaned, extremely upset that he'd left them at such a crucial moment.

"Anakin, there's no time!" Obi-Wan yelled, and Anakin knew he couldn't dwell on Qui-Gon's appearance until they'd safely left the planet. Carefully, Anakin and Obi-Wan carried the pregnant Padme inside the ship. Once they had her strapped into the crash-webbing and under Threepio's care, Anakin slid into the pilot's seat, and Obi-Wan sat beside him.

"Okay, Artoo, let's move!" Anakin cried, and with a small shudder, the sleek silver ship ascended away from the fiery planet. As they left the planet's atmosphere, Obi-Wan sent soothing thoughts through the Force, directing them toward his distressed friend.

"I'm so afraid for Padme," Anakin's voice cracked as he explained what was bothering him. "Obi-Wan, what if I've endangered her or the babies when I lost control and choked her back on Mustafar?"

"Anakin, while you and I know she's been through some mild distress, I doubt that –" Obi-Wan was interrupted by Threepio, who'd just entered the cockpit.

"Master Anakin," Threepio announced albeit worriedly, "Mistress Padme has just exhibited the first signs of labor." After punching the autopilot, Anakin leaped out of his seat to go check on his wife.

"Her water's broken," he announced, returning a moment later. His intense blue eyes burned with concern for his love.

"We need to land somewhere, and quickly," Obi-Wan voiced his former apprentice's thoughts exactly. _Hold on Padme, _Anakin thought._ I won't let anything happen to you or our children. Just hold on…_

End Ch.1

Reviews are always appreciated!


	2. Birth of the Twins

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Fox and George Lucas, not me.

Ch. 2: Birth of the Twins

Obi-Wan's stomach lurched as Threepio came clanking into the cockpit for the second time.

"Master Kenobi, Mistress Padme is asking for you," the droid told him urgently. "It seems that she is experiencing some severe discomfort." Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan saw Anakin jump out of his seat, ready to rush to his wife's aid.

"Anakin, sit down," Obi-Wan gently ordered.

"No way!" His old padawan argued angrily. "My wife's having contractions and you want me not to be there for her?" Obi-Wan sighed.

"I don't think she wants to see you right now, Anakin; she asked for me." When his friend frowned, the elder of the two Jedi knights continued. "You did choke her, remember? You don't want her to faint again, do you?" Anakin gave a guilty sigh.

"I guess not." Obi-Wan started to take his leave, but Anakin called after him.

"But I want to help her!" Obi-Wan's patience was growing thin – he had a mother to look after, and her husband wasn't helping matters at all.

"Then why don't you get on the navicomputer and find the nearest civilized star system?" he offered. "Then you can contact them, and find the nearest medi-facility."

"I'll get right on it," Anakin answered, determination showing on his fair features. He disappeared back into the cockpit and Obi-Wan proceeded to check on Padme. He found her lying on the bed in her cabin, clutching her pregnant belly and moaning softly.

"Hi Padme," Obi-Wan greeted her gently. "We're going to land as soon as we can. Is there anything I can get for you? Besides pain medication?" She nodded.

"I'd like some water, please." He got her some. As she sipped her drink, Obi-Wan noticed that she seemed uncharacteristically subdued.

"Is everything alright?" When she glared at him, he elaborated, stammering,

"I meant besides the obvious. You seem worried about something other than the pregnancy." Padme regarded him seriously.

"I - I'm afraid for Anakin, of what he's become. Don't let him come in the delivery room," she pleaded. "After what he did to me, I don't think I can handle seeing him right now," she added, massaging her bruised throat. Obi-Wan sighed with regret. He knew it would kill Anakin not to be present during the birth of his children. Obi-Wan let her squeeze his hand as a contraction passed, but as she grimaced, letting out uneven breaths, he couldn't help feeling that it should be Anakin with her, not him. They continued their conversation about Anakin after her pain temporarily subsided.

"Very well; Anakin won't be allowed in during the delivery," Obi-Wan promised. She looked somewhat relived at this declaration. "But I can assure you, after certain events that occurred during your blackout, Anakin is no longer a danger to you or your children." Padme gasped.

"Children?" She asked weakly.

"Yes," he confirmed. "You're carrying twins." Padme didn't ask him how he knew this; Obi-Wan thought that she assumed he could sense their presence through the Force which, as he tried to do so, he realized that she was indeed carrying two very force-sensitive babies. Obi-Wan wondered why he hadn't tried to sense them before Qui-Gon had told him she was having twins. Probably because he was too busy worrying about their father turning to the Dark Side, he thought grimly.

"Obi-wan, will you stay with me during the births?" Padme timidly asked him.

"Of course, milady," he replied. "I would be honored." The Jedi master had been expecting this request from her after she asked for Anakin not to be present during the delivery.

"Excuse me, sir, but we're coming up on our destination." Threepio announced, sticking his golden head in the room.

"Good," said Obi-Wan, relieved that Padme was going to get help shortly. He squeezed Padme's hand in reassurance before he stood to return to the cockpit for the landing. "It's going to be fine, Padme," he told her upon receiving a worried look. "I promise, no harm will come to your babies." Satisfied for the moment, Padme gave him a small smile.

"How is she?" Anakin hurriedly asked before Obi-Wan even had a chance to sit back down.

"She's doing as well as can be expected," he reported truthfully.

They were silent as Anakin skillfully maneuvered the ship into the docking bay. Medi-droids met them at the landing platform. Obi-Wan lent his Jedi abilities to float Padme onto a stretcher, and the medi-droids took over from there, guiding her into the medi-facility. Anakin bounded down the landing ramp as soon as Padme was out of sight.

"I'm scared for her," he vented to his former master. "She means everything to me; if something happens to her because of what I did, I could never forgive myself."

"I know," Obi-Wan said. Anakin paused midstep, and looked at his friend intently.

"What if my dreams about her dying during birth come true?" Obi-Wan had no answer for that. At a distance, they followed Padme inside. The two Jedi knights were met by the head medi-droid, who began firing off procedural questions before they had time to blink.

"Which one of you is the father?"

"I am," said Anakin, stepping forward. The droid asked him for all sorts of information, such as Padme's age, homeworld, and medical history.

"Is she going to be alright?" Anakin blurted out at the end of the question and answer session. If the droid could've, Obi-Wan thought, it might've smiled.

"She is in good hands, Mr. Skywalker," the droid explained. "Now, it you'd like to see her, she's in the maternity ward – please follow me." Obi-Wan and Anakin trailed after the droid until it stopped abruptly, just in front of the door to Padme's room. Anakin started to open the door, but Obi-Wan cleared his throat and he paused mid-action.

"Uh, Anakin," he nervously began, "She asked me to be with her." Anakin was not stupid; he read between the lines and knew that his wife was still afraid of him and hadn't wanted him around.

"It's not fair," he griped, his anger rising. "I should be with her."

"You must control your emotions, Anakin," Obi-Wan advised. "It's what got you banned from the room in the first place…" Anakin grunted.

"I know, I know – it's just that…"

"Pardon me," interjected one of the medi-droids, "But I'm needed inside." The Jedi quickly moved out of the way to let him pass, and a small parade of droids followed the first one into Padme's room.

"What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked calmly. One of the droids replied,

"One of the babies' heart rates has dropped below normal. We just needed to monitor them in case it happens again. But don't worry, sirs," he added, seeing the looks of distress on their faces. "It could be that the baby was just sleeping." After the droid vanished into the birthing room, Anakin gave Obi-Wan a look of subdued approval.

"Go if you must." The elder Jedi smiled.

"I'm glad you understand, Anakin. I'll keep you posted." And then, he too disappeared behind the cold, metallic door.

As he stepped into the room, Obi-Wan Kenobi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, using the Force. He sensed the unrest in his former padawan just outside, and the apprehensiveness in Padme. She looked so small and helpless, lying there in the massive maternity bed, surrounded by droids and life-support apparatuses. Hearing him enter the room, she looked up at him.

"Obi-Wan, thank you for coming," she said gratefully. He gave her a tiny smile and sat down beside the bed as the droids cleared the room.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, sending her soothing thoughts with his mind.

"Oh yes; it was just a false alarm…" Padme trailed off. "But the droids said that if one of the babies' heart rates dropped again, they'll have to operate on me. They can't risk something happening to my babies." Padme looked like she was about to burst into tears at the thought of her children in any danger.

"I'm sure the droids know what they're doing," Obi-Wan voiced. "But hopefully it won't come to that. Just think, Padme. Soon you're going to be a mother!" He was trying to get her to focus on the positive parts of the delivery, and it was working.

"Yes," she agreed. "But I wasn't expecting _two_ children! Do you think that I'm ready to be a parent to twins?" He chuckled.

"If you have the patience to work with disgruntled diplomats and sit through dull senate meetings, surely you can handle raising twins." She laughed in response, which Obi-Wan took as a good sign.

"I hope you're right – it will be a challenge, that's for sure." Wanting to keep her mind off her current situation, Obi-Wan continued their conversation about the twins.

"Did you decide what you wanted to name the children?" She nodded happily.

"Anakin and I thought that – ungh!" She groaned in agony, gripping Obi-Wan's hand as the wave of pain passed through her lower abdomen. "I'm sorry," she apologized sheepishly after the pain subsided.

"That's quite alright; don't apologize for something you can't help," he told her earnestly. "Please continue."

"Oh yes, the names," she said, lost in thought. "Luke if it was a boy and Leia if it was a girl."

"Those are beautiful names," Obi-Wan murmured. She beamed at his praise.

"I thought so too. Before, I suggested to Ani that we could use Shmi as the girl's name, but he refused. I suppose that he didn't want to be reminded of his guilt over losing his mother every time he looked at his daughter." Obi-Wan nodded solemnly.

He was getting Padme a cold compress for her burning forehead when he heard her cry out. Something in her voice told him that this was no ordinary contraction; this was the real thing.

"Obi-Wan!" She cried out, almost in fear. Dropping everything, the Jedi knight rushed to her side. "It's time," she told him tearfully.

"I've got to tell Anakin what's going on; I'll be right back," he promised her as the medi-droids rolled in.

"Hurry!" she called out after him.

The droids were already preparing Padme for the births while Obi-Wan explained to Anakin what was happening.

"It's going to be a natural birth," he told the worried father. "Anakin, it's going to be fine," Obi-Wan said as he tried to comfort him. "Padme is young and healthy, and I don't sense any extra stress coming from the twins at all." Anakin nodded, but Obi-Wan could see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"I've got to go back now – I'll try and talk her into letting you come in after the twins are born."

"Thanks," Anakin muttered, and without another word, Obi-Wan returned to Padme's side.

She was already giving birth to one of the twins when he entered the room. Padme's cries stopped momentarily and were replaced by the shrill ones of a newborn.

"Congratulations, milady," Obi-Wan said, and held out his arms so the medi-droids could place the baby in them. The Jedi master grinned at the tiny baby in his arms, who was still crying.

"It's a boy," he informed her.

"Luke," Padme whispered as a few tears of joy streamed down her flushed face.

"Push once more, Mrs. Skywalker," the medi-droid urged, and Padme screwed up her face in concentration.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed as the second baby's head appeared.

"You're almost there; once more ought to do it," Obi-Wan encouraged her, all the while rocking a wailing Luke. Breathing hard, Padme Amidala delivered her second child. As the medi-droids cleaned the baby off, they announced,

"You have a healthy baby girl." Padme smiled weakly as she carefully sat up so that she could hold her tiny daughter.

"Leia," she breathed, regarding her baby girl with awe.

"She looks just like you," Obi-Wan remarked.

"And Luke looks a lot like Anakin," Padme added, chewing on her lip thoughtfully.

"He really wanted to be here you know," Obi-Wan said before her could stop himself. Padme stiffened and held Leia close.

"I know," she sighed. "I just couldn't think about anything but how he hurt me if he'd been in the room," Padme admitted. "Are you sure he's back to himself now?" Obi-Wan filled her in on the appearance of Qui-Gon's spirit, and how Anakin had renounced the Dark Side.

"Yes – he's gotten control over his anger," Obi-Wan informed her. "Your husband made some terrible mistakes, but he was misguided and thought he was trying to protect you and the twins. Please, give him a chance to rectify his wrongdoings.," Obi-Wan asked her on Anakin's behalf. "He still loves you more than ever, and now that he's in his right mind, no harm will come to you or your children."

She pondered this for awhile, letting Leia breastfeed to stop her from whimpering. Averting his eyes, Obi-Wan gave mother and daughter some privacy. As he rocked the now-quiet baby Luke in his arms, Obi-Wan felt Anakin's nervousness turn to joy as the medi-droids informed him of the birth of his children.

"Obi-Wan?" Padme cried out faintly. Instantly, he knew something was very wrong when she offered Leia to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked for the millionth time that day, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.

"I –I think I'm bleeding," she whispered. Just then, several of the medi-droids rushed in, as they were alerted to the alarming dip in Padme's vital signs.

"Mrs. Skywalker, we need for you to relax." The head droid gently explained that there was a problem with the afterbirth and that unless it passed naturally, they'd have to step in and operate. Padme nodded, but continued to wince in pain, shutting her eyes and moaning softly.

"Ani, where are you?" she whispered, just loud enough for Obi-Wan to hear. A few parsecs later, Anakin burst into the room, heading straight for his wife, his features a mask of concern.

"Excuse me, sir, but this is a private room," squeaked one of the droids.

"I was summoned here," Anakin explained, trying in vain to get around the robot.

"By whom?" questioned the droid.

"By me," Obi-Wan clarified, stepping forward so he could hand Anakin's daughter to him. "I called to him through the Force; we're Jedi."

"Ani," Padme called out weakly. When the droid realized that his patient didn't protest at the newcomer's presence, it let Anakin pass. He gave Leia a peck on her forehead and returned her to Obi-Wan when he saw how much his wife was suffering.

"My sweet Padme," Murmured Anakin, tenderly brushing the stray locks away from her feverish face. "I am so, so sorry for what I did to you," he told her, his voice catching in this throat. "I swear on all that I am that I'll never hurt you again; I'll make it up to you somehow," he vowed. "Will you ever forgive me?"

She nodded, and then grimaced as another wave of pain hit. Anakin exhaled slowly, exhilarated that she'd forgiven him, but he was still deathly afraid that she'd be hurt in post birth complications.

"Padme, love, I need for you to relax," Anakin pleaded, taking her hand tenderly with his own. "You'll be so much better off if they don't have to operate on you." Padme only groaned in response. Anakin frantically turned to Obi-Wan for help. "Can't we use our powers to help her?" Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully.

"Padme," he began," taking her other hand in his own, "Anakin and I can use the Force to assist you, but you have to do most of the work on your own, alright?"

"Okay," she choked out, exhaling slowly. As the Jedi knights sent her calming, peaceful thoughts via the Force, Padme felt some of the tension in her lower abdomen lessen.

"You're doing great, angel," Anakin praised her softly as her groans stopped altogether. "Just think, soon you'll recover from this and we'll get to spend all our days with our beautiful children, safe on a secluded planet where no harm will come to our family." While she pictured this utopian scenario in her mind, Padme let out a sigh, and her muscles visibly relaxed.

Moments later, it was all over. She had successfully passed the afterbirth without any aide from an operation. Exhausted, Padme gave her husband a tired but grateful smile before drifting off. The two Jedi exchanged relieved glances as the droids filed out of the room, as they were no longer needed.

"Anakin, you didn't ever get a chance to hold your son," Obi-Wan gently reminded him, as Padme began to sigh contentedly in her sleep.

"Oh!" He exclaimed. "C'mere, Luke." Anakin carefully picked the tiny cooing baby, remembering to support his head. "I was so afraid for your mother that I'm afraid we haven't had time to be introduced." Luke gave a small non-committal gurgle and reached up to grab for one of Anakin's golden curls.

"Luke, I am your father," Anakin proclaimed. "And I promise you, I'll protect you and teach you how to fix things and how to fly, as well as the ways of the Force. But most importantly, I'll teach you how to play. I had precious little time to play when I was growing up," Anakin admitted, a dark look in his sapphire eyes as he remembered his heart-wrenching past as a slave on Tatooine. But the look quickly passed and he was smiling once more.

"I'll make sure that you have plenty of time to play, little one. You and your sister," he promised, holding Luke close. Obi-Wan watched this heartfelt declaration, and silently thanked Qui-Gon for interfering in their lives. Force only knows what could've happened if he'd had to fight Anakin. Luke and Leia might've had to grow up without a father if Obi-Wan had been forced to destroy Anakin because he was consumed by the Dark Side. And possibly, the twins could've been motherless as well – for if Anakin hadn't been there to calm his wife, she might not have survived the operation…

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan cleared his mind of all morbid thoughts. It did not do to dwell on what could've been. Thankfully, Anakin had reformed and the Skywalkers were back on track to becoming a real family. Things were finally looking up for his friend, Obi-Wan decided.

But when Obi-Wan saw See-Threepio suddenly burst into the room, he knew that something was seriously wrong. Especially when Anakin froze midstep, a glazed look of terror materializing on his face.

"Oh my," Threepio moaned. "We're done for! Artoo, it was nice knowing you…" The astromech droid bleeped indignantly at his counterpart as if to say they weren't finished yet.

"Could someone please explain to me what is going on?" A confused Obi-Wan looked between the droids and the spaced-out Anakin, knowing he was missing something.

"Oh Master Kenobi, it's horrible!" Threepio fretted. "You know how you asked Artoo and I to monitor the incoming ships?" Obi-Wan nodded; he knew this already and he was starting to get frustrated with the translator droid.

"And?" he prompted him.

"And, I saw Chancellor Palpatine's starship in orbit heading straight for us!" Threepio wailed in despair.

"He's here," Anakin confirmed in a chilled tone Obi-Wan had never heard his friend use. "And he's come for me and the twins." Obi-Wan's stomach clenched in fear. How in Force's name were they going to escape from the clutches of the newly proclaimed Emperor of the galaxy? They needed a miracle…

End Ch. 2

Reviews are appreciated and so are suggestions!


End file.
